I have the Madis Model 12 book also & on page 53 he states "Winchester's solid ribs were usually made as a part of the barrel, a milling job that required a great deal of time by expert machinists." Note the word "usually".
I've often wondered about that statement because of the cost of machining & finishing such a complex rib & barrel assembly as compared to what Winchester charged.
To use 1953 for example the retail cost of a standard plain bbl Model 12 was $93.85 & the cost of a standard gun with the solid rib (matted rib as described by Winchester) was $110.35. That is a 17.5% increase in price which is significant but still less what I would think the complexity of the job would add.
Also I just got done looking at the muzzle of a 12 ga solid rib model 12 produced in 1953 using a magnifying glass & while it is an excellent job, you can absolutely tell that on this particular gun the barrel & rib are two separate pieces but I cannot see any solder at the join line looking directly at the muzzle so I've no idea what type of solder was used by looking at it.
I'm sure someone out there has put solid rib Model 12 barrels into a hot bluing tank & if they were put together with soft solder it would be common for the ribs to come off so I'm going to make the assumption that Winchester may have used a silver solder process to attach ribs & possibly there are some solid ribs out there that were made as Madis described but I do know that the one I'm looking at wasn't.
Very fair points, Mr. Brittany, and well taken. The 20 gauge M12 in my possession was made in 1933, just a few years from when the "Nickel Steel" barrels were replaced by the "Winchester Proof Steel" (both high nickel and chromium content alloys)barrels and the 2 & 3/4" chamber length stamping on the magazine extension area, instead of later on, when it was marked on the left side barrel ahead of the receiver-
Also, this is a factory rib, and the factory inspection stamp W encircled- which always appears at Top Dead 12 o'clock on a plain barrel M12- was moved to aprox. 9 o'clock to allow for the top milled rib-- My guess is, the earlier pre-WW2 Model 12's may have had the rib milled from a barrel blank, post WW2 went with the soldered on version-
I have a 1949 mfg. year 3" Mag M12 with a 30" solid rib, and a 1938 3" Mag M12 with a 30" plain barrel- allowing for a slight difference in forearm shape and walnut density, I will weigh just the barrel magazine assemblies of both shotguns- on digital readout USPS scales- and if they are "dead nutz" close, I will concede that later era M12's with solid ribs may well have had them soldered in place--
You might also please re-read my original post, when I quoted George Madis page 53-- I put the word "usually" in capital letters-- as I know of WRA's "running changes" from the first Model 1912 in 20 gauge from 1912 through the last production in 1963-- We might also recall well known gun writer from Field & Stream- David Petzal--Sporting Classics May/June issue 1985--page 48: "The Model 12 owed its existence to the fact that first-class machinists worked cheaply in those days"-- amen--
